Three northwest Arkansas counties are asking state officials to be added to the first stage of replacing the state's decade-old voting equipment in time for the 2016 election.
The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that the Washington County Election Commission sent a letter Friday to officials stating that current equipment is "malfunctioning at an increasing rate."
The letter also requests that Benton and Crawford counties be part of the replacement program. Officials in the three counties want a new system in place before the March 1, 2016 primary election.
Last month, election officials and lawmakers met to discuss Secretary of State Mark Martin's selection of Nebraska-based Election Systems & Software to replace the state's touch screens and ballot counters for nearly $30 million.
